The Two Organizations Will Develop New Standards of Cancer Care, Open Joint Cancer Treatment Facilities

Edison, NJ - Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Hackensack Meridian Health today announced the Memorial Sloan Kettering–Hackensack Meridian Health partnership, which brings together two world-class organizations with deep New Jersey roots and a single goal: Finding more cures for cancer faster while ensuring that patients have access to the highest-quality, most individualized cancer care when and where they need it. To achieve this goal, the new Memorial Sloan Kettering–Hackensack Meridian Health partnership will combine both organizations’ unparalleled expertise in all areas of cancer care and research, as well as their commitment to excellence, to accelerate new discoveries and improve the lives of patients they jointly serve, while training a new generation of leaders in the field.

During an event at the site of the forthcoming Seton Hall-Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, leaders from Memorial Sloan Kettering and Hackensack Meridian Health announced the ten-year strategic partnership. Driving the collaboration is a shared commitment to the highest-quality cancer care and improving outcomes and value, which will allow the two organizations to reduce the burden that cancer places on patients and families. The partnership also supports Vice President Joe Biden’s National Cancer Moonshot initiative, which calls for unprecedented cooperation among leading cancer centers to make more therapies available to more patients, while also improving the ability to prevent cancer and detect it at an early stage.

According to the American Cancer Society, New Jersey has a higher cancer incidence rate than the national average. The Memorial Sloan Kettering–Hackensack Meridian Health partnership aims to improve the state of cancer care in New Jersey and beyond by providing support to patients throughout the cancer care continuum, from diagnosis through active treatment and into survivorship. Patients will benefit from greater access to the most innovative concepts and treatments in cancer care, including precision medicine, immunotherapy, and cell-based therapies. And more New Jersey communities than ever will have access to hundreds of clinical trials for many cancer types, including the phase I trials that both Memorial Sloan Kettering and Hackensack Meridian Health offer.

Each organization’s existing sites of care in New Jersey — including Hackensack Meridian Health’s cancer care locations, the John Theurer Cancer Center at HackensackUMC in Hackensack, and Memorial Sloan Kettering’s locations in Basking Ridge, Middletown, and Montvale (opening in 2018) — will be part of the Memorial Sloan Kettering–Hackensack Meridian Health partnership, but each organization will independently own, operate, and manage these existing sites.

The initial stages of the Memorial Sloan Kettering–Hackensack Meridian Health partnership will involve developing joint standards of care to be applied across these existing sites to optimize clinical outcomes for every patient, as well as setting clinical research priorities. Eventually, the two organizations will create a formal joint venture to own and operate new ambulatory care centers in areas of New Jersey they do not yet serve.

"This momentous partnership between the world’s first cancer hospital and New Jersey’s premier hospital system will rewrite the future of cancer care in New Jersey," said Craig Thompson, M.D., president and CEO of Memorial Sloan Kettering. "Together, we will provide the best quality and value-based care for our patients, discover new treatments for cancer, and train a new generation of physicians and health professionals for tomorrow."

"Hackensack Meridian Health and Memorial Sloan Kettering will discover new treatments for cancer and train together," said Robert C. Garrett, co-CEO of Hackensack Meridian Health. "The standard of care that we develop will be implemented at all Hackensack Meridian Health and Memorial Sloan Kettering partnership sites alike. The sheer size and scope of what we do will impact cancer care everywhere."

"This is a groundbreaking partnership," said Andrew Pecora, M.D., president, Physician Services and chief innovation officer of Hackensack Meridian Health. "Our combined and unparalleled clinical experience, along with our focus on big-data platforms, next-generation analytics, and precision medicine, will lead to the best possible outcomes for our patients. Together, we will develop and implement standardized care management and research protocols for all cancer patients receiving care at Memorial Sloan Kettering and Hackensack Meridian Health partnership sites."

"Memorial Sloan Kettering is deeply committed to New Jersey, having provided cancer care in the state for more than 20 years, and we are excited to have the opportunity to offer our cancer expertise and resources to even more New Jersey residents," said José Baselga, M.D., Ph.D., physician-in-chief and chief medical officer at Memorial Sloan Kettering. "Hackensack Meridian Health is a strong partner for Memorial Sloan Kettering, and our collaboration will help us continue to meet the evolving needs of patients with cancer, whether that’s through greater access to clinical trials or more convenient options for local hospitalization and follow-up care. We look forward to working with Hackensack Meridian Health to serve New Jersey residents over the next decade."

"Both Hackensack Meridian Health and Memorial Sloan Kettering are already highly respected leaders in cancer care, driven by research and innovation," said John K. Lloyd, co-CEO of Hackensack Meridian Health. "Together, our organizations will enhance the capabilities of each other, offering our cancer patients access to clinical trials that may have otherwise been unattainable."

Memorial Sloan Kettering and Hackensack Meridian Health treat one in five New Jersey residents who are diagnosed with cancer. Combined, the two organizations annually will serve the most patients with cancer in the region, and many of their combined programs will be among the largest and most respected in the country.

The Memorial Sloan Kettering–Hackensack Meridian Health partnership creates instant convenience. All Memorial Sloan Kettering locations in New Jersey (in Basking Ridge, Middletown, and Montvale, which will open in 2018) and Hackensack Meridian Health locations that offer cancer care (HackensackUMC in Hackensack, Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, Ocean Medical Center in Brick, Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank, HackensackUMC Mountainside in Montclair, HackensackUMC Palisades in North Bergen, Raritan Bay Medical Center in Perth Amboy, Southern Ocean Medical Center in Manahawkin, Bayshore Community Hospital in Holmdel, Raritan Bay Medical Center in Old Bridge, HackensackUMC at Pascack Valley in Westwood, and Meridian Health Village at Jackson) will participate in the partnership. Physicians employed by Memorial Sloan Kettering and Hackensack Meridian Health — including the Hackensack Division of Regional Cancer Care Associates and physicians who participate in Hackensack Meridian Health’s clinically integrated network — will continue to care for patients at their respective sites.

The partnership will be overseen by an Operating Board made up of representatives from each organization. That board will function with the advice of a formal clinical council, led by internationally recognized experts in all subtypes of cancer from Memorial Sloan Kettering, the John Theurer Cancer Center, and Hackensack Meridian Health, as well as a formal executive advisory group comprised of institutional leaders in key areas.

About Memorial Sloan Kettering
Memorial Sloan Kettering is the world’s oldest and largest private cancer center, home to more than 14,000 physicians, scientists, nurses, and staff united by a relentless dedication to conquering cancer. As an independent institution, Memorial Sloan Kettering combines 130 years of research and clinical leadership with the freedom to provide highly individualized, exceptional care to each patient. And MSK’s always-evolving educational programs continue to train new leaders in the field, here and around the world. For more information, go to www.mskcc.org.

According to US News & World Report, Memorial Sloan Kettering has ranked as one of the top two hospitals for cancer care in the country for more than 25 years and among the nation’s top pediatric hospitals for cancer care. In addition, the 2016 Best Doctors issue of New York magazine recognizes more cancer physicians from Memorial Sloan Kettering than from any other hospital in the New York metropolitan area.